"Chase the vision, not the money"
“… and the money will end up following you.”
Hand cut mahogany letters on pastel mint green antique window with metal fittings.
The quote
Tony Hsieh was a legendary entrepreneur who built Zappos and sold the online shoe retailer to Amazon for $1.2 billion in 2009.
Hsieh rethought Zappos structure, and in 2013 it became for a time a holacracy without job titles, reflecting his belief in employees and their ability to self-organize.
Zappos was often listed in Fortune as one of the best companies to work for, and beyond high salaries and being an inviting place to work it delivered extraordinary customer service.
He started Zappos as a hobby, after giving up on his career. In the end, the money did end up following him.
The process
First, I cut the letters from 3mm mahogany stock, ordered online. The wood is cut and trimmed using knives and round tip tools.
The window frame is carefully stripped of paint, revealing its 106-year old core wood.
t is recommended to dismount the glass for the process, to avoid cracks or bruises on the material.
The excel varnish around the letters are surgically removed. #satisfying
A drop shadow is crosshatched on the background with a slightly darker tone, to enhance the three dimensionality of the piece.
The final step before treating the frame with linseed oil and beeswax.